The First
by Time Lord Asparagus
Summary: The Titans are protecting a metahuman who is on the run from a mysterious new enemy calling themselves 'the First'. The Titans realise they might be in over their heads, and Raven tries her best not to go mad.
1. Ice

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans or DC Comics. Nexus is based on a character from a script I wrote for a short film for school. I only found out halfway through writing this story that there's already a superhero called Nexus from a separate non-DC comic series - any similaries between the two characters are entirely coincidental.

 **A/N:** As well as being my first story on this site, this is the first story I've written in a long time, so forgive me if it's not that great. Righto, let's begin!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Ice**

The city square was overwhelmed by mass hysteria. The people screamed as they ran, slipping and falling on the icy ground. The buildings around them quickly became covered in jagged sheets of ice. Soon almost the entire square was empty, save for some unlucky people whose feet were frozen to the ground. They were now hostages of Mr. Freeze.

"I will ask once more, or these people will suffer. Where is the one known as Nexus?"

Mr. Freeze looked around the square, eagerly awaiting an answer. There was none. He smirked as he noticed one of the hostages, a boy, take a hot water bottle out of his jacket and place it near his frozen feet in a futile attempt to escape.

"I know you are here, Nexus," he boomed, raising his ice gun, "give yourself up, or..."

The ice gun suddenly vanished from his hand. Out of the corner of his eye he could see someone next to him holding the same gun.

"Or what? You'll freeze them? How very original! I've never heard that one before!"

Mr. Freeze was told he'd be dealing with an Australian. He turned and saw what he was dealing with. He looked around 16 or 17, with dark brown hair and pale skin. His suit of armour was matte black with glowing red piping, and he wore a mask over his eyes. Mr. Freeze found the costume's design suspiciously familiar.

"I'm sorry, I'm pretty new at this, but isn't simply freezing them a tad predictable? 'Ooh, look at me, I'm... Freeze Man, or... whatever, and I freeze people!' Sorry, I don't know your name, but seriously? Is that all you can do?"

Mr. Freeze wasn't sure how to respond to this person's cockiness. "That ice gun will only work when it is attached to my suit. You will be unable to use it."

"Really? Let's see about that!"

Nexus pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Mr. Freeze seized the opportunity to grab his face and smash him into the wall. Nexus remained pinned against the wall while Mr. Freeze reclaimed his ice gun. Nexus tried to escape by striking him in the elbow, which did nothing except provoke a punch in the face.

Nexus lifted his head. "'Tis but a scratch," he said wearily. Mr. Freeze knew he wasn't joking. The description of Nexus he'd been given stated that his mutation made it difficult for him to take damage. He also knew that using his powers too much wore him out.

"Just come with me, and no one gets hurt," urged Mr. Freeze. Nexus frowned and said nothing. Mr. Freeze noticed him looking past his shoulder. He turned to find out what Nexus was looking at. It was the boy with the hot water bottle. The bottle vanished.

Oh no.

Immediately he felt searing pain caused by immense, burning heat. He screamed in agony as he fumbled with his gun while trying to remove his helmet. The burning clouded his concentration and caused him to panic. The helmet finally came off and he scrambled to remove the hot water bottle from his face.

He rolled himself onto his back and looked up at the figure looming over him. This couldn't be happening. He was running out of ideas. His only option was to negotiate. Make Nexus come with him. He needs to.

They have Nora.

"Please, you don't understand..." Mr. Freeze said as he slowly grabbed his helmet and put it on.

"Of course I don't understand. I don't even know who you are. Why do you want me?"

The sudden breeze of sub-zero temperatures from his helmet brought him back to his senses. He looked around and saw his ice gun near his head. He snapped off a shard of ice from the ground and thew it at Nexus to distract him. It worked, as it provided him with ample time to obtain his weapon. Nexus transported the shard somewhere behind him, and as he turned around, Mr. Freeze pulled the trigger. Nexus was frozen in a jagged block of ice.

Mr. Freeze stood up and took a transmat device from his belt. He already had one attached to his suit, but he needed to attach one to Nexus in order to take him with him. But before he could do so, he was suddenly struck by a green beam of light that sent him flying into a nearby car. He looked up and saw who attacked him.

The Teen Titans.

"Ah, Robin. The Boy Hostage. I see you've made quite a living for yourself."

"The only living you'll be doing is in a prison cell!" Robin replied.

Mr. Freeze couldn't afford for this to happen, so he fired his ice gun in their general direction. One of the Titans, a girl in an indigo cloak, projected a black forcefield that deflected the ice. He scanned the area for the other transmat, spotting it lying next to an ATM. He raced over to it, firing more ice beams at the team. He picked it up, but before he could take it back to Nexus, he found himself being mauled by a tiger. A green tiger. He dropped the transmat again, and in the struggle with the changeling, they both rolled over twice. He kicked the tiger away from him and stood up.

The transmat was broken. It had been crushed by the tanks on the back of Mr. Freeze's suit. He found himself being cornered by all five Titans.

"There's nowhere to go now," said Robin, "give yourself up!"

Kidnapping Nexus was going to have to wait. He activated his own transmat and dematerialised, praying that his masters would give him one more chance.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry there wasn't much of the Titans in this chapter, but don't worry, there will be more soon! Feedback is appreciated!


	2. Five Dollars

**A/N:** Big thanks to those who have followed and reviewed so far! I've just finished Chapter 4, and I've given myself a rule that I don't post the next chapter until I've finished two chapters after it, so if I get bogged down by homework or procrastination, I still have two chapters I can post while I'm not writing anything. This chapter focuses on the Titans more, and the next chapter will focus more on Nexus. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Five Dollars**

It had been a slow week for the Titans. The crime rate in Jump City had been lower than usual, and the Titans had been provided with a new ultra high definition CCTV and media playback system courtesy of Batman, which took several days to install. During this time they were unable to play video games or watch TV, so when they were notified that Mr. Freeze was in town, they relished the opportunity for something to do. They didn't anticipate having a metahuman defrosting in their sickbay.

After Mr. Freeze had escaped and the hostages had been freed, the Titans were informed by witnesses that the villain was after someone called Nexus. They figured that the frozen person in the strange armour must have been Nexus, so they took him to Titans Tower, despite all of them being hesitant to do so. They had no idea who he was or where he came from, but decided to take him in after witnesses said he was trying to save them. They kept him under surveillance, just in case.

Cyborg walked into the lounge. "Now all the ice has melted away, he's in a stable condition, but he's still unconscious," he informed. "Any idea why Freeze would want him?" he asked as he walked over to help Starfire with the finishing touches on the playback system.

"Or where Freeze actually _is_ , for that matter?" Raven added.

"I did a scan of the whole city. He's left town completely. There's no sign of him," said Cyborg.

"Perhaps we should look for him ourselves," Starfire suggested.

"It would take too much time, and besides, we still have to keep an eye on that Nexus guy," Robin replied.

Cyborg clicked the last wire into place. "Hey Star, everything good on your side?" he asked.

"Everything is indeed 'all good'," Starfire replied.

"Then let's light her up!" Cyborg pressed the power button and the machine whirred into life. "Booyah!" he exclaimed, punching the air. He walked over to Starfire and raised his hand in preparation for a high five. "Don't leave me hangin'!"

"I do not understand. You do not appear to be hanging..."

"It's a high five, Star."

"Oh. Right." She giggled as they high fived.

"Hey guys, playback system's online!" Cyborg called out to the others.

"Great job guys," Robin said, looking around. "Hey, has anyone seen Beast Boy?"

He was soon sorry he asked.

"Yo, what's up homies?" Beast Boy yelled as he strolled into the room pretending he was a rapper. "Guess what I just bought for only _five dollars_?"

Raven sighed and looked up at Robin. "You were saying?"

"What did you get?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy shook his head. "No no, guess!"

Everyone glared at him.

"What?"

They continued to glare.

"Okay, fine!" He cleared his throat. "Ahem. I present to you... the latest, newly released, incredible, heart stopping, mind blowing new album of the one, the only... _Captain Aztech_!" He held up the CD case as though 'The Circle of Life' was playing in the background.

Absolute silence. Beast Boy could have sworn he could hear crickets.

"Who?" said Cyborg.

"Come on! Haven't you guys heard of him? He's, like, the best rapper and dubstep musician ever!"

"If he's so good," said Raven, "why did his album only cost five dollars?"

"Because... um... well..." Beast Boy was at a loss for words.

"Dude, nobody even likes dubstep anymore," Cyborg added.

"Come on, Cy! You of all people should have at least heard of him!"

"Nope, sorry," said Cyborg. Beast Boy sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Anyway, where the heck were you when I asked you to help me with this?" Cyborg asked, gesturing towards the playback system. "I had to drag in poor old Starfire to help me!"

"I was... um..."

"Beast Boy," said Robin, "there is a criminal on the loose and a metahuman in our sickbay who we have no knowledge about, and you were out _shopping_?"

"Heh heh... sorry..." Beast Boy said sheepishly.

"Although," said Cyborg, "if it had been _you_ helping me, we'd still be working on that thing five weeks from now."

"Yeah... sure... 'Pick on Beast Boy Day'... _again_ ," Beast Boy muttered as he walked around the couch.

Starfire turned to Cyborg. "I do not understand why you show pity towards me. I rather enjoyed helping to install the system of playing back..."

Before Cyborg could reply, everyone's attention was drawn towards Beast Boy fiddling with the volume control. "Come on! Why is there no sound?" he yelled.

"Beast Boy, NO!" screamed Cyborg.

They all clutched their ears as the speakers blasted aggressive dubstep at full volume and filled the whole room with unbearable noise. It was so loud that sparks flew from the speakers and, much to everyone's relief, the noise stopped. More sparks flew from the machine itself as it shut down.

Everyone glared at Beast Boy.

"There goes my last eardrum," said Raven, breaking the silence.

Cyborg let out a high-pitched wail. "What have you DONE?"

"Exactly," said Robin, "that was an important piece of equipment that you just ruined! Now we have to waste more of our time to fix it, when we could be solving this case!"

"I'm sorry, it's just that it took way too long to start playing," said Beast Boy.

"It's a cheap CD," said Raven, "cheap CDs do that."

"Now we will be unable to monitor the metahuman in our sickbay," said Starfire.

Her comment had alarmed everyone. They all realised they weren't monitoring Nexus.

"I'll go and check on him," said Robin. But he didn't need to.

They all heard the hiss of the door opening, and they turned to see Nexus staggering through the doorway, placing his hand on the wall to brace himself. There was a look of disgust on his face.

"Was that _dubstep_?"


	3. Voices

**A/N:** Back when I first posted this chapter I was overly ambitious about how this fanfic was going to pan out, so originally this chapter had a very strange and random flashback for Nexus. For now I've removed this flashback because I'm uncertain about this story's future, but it still exits on my computer so I may utilise it in later chapters. But for now I'm taking it out as it doesn't add anything to the story. Sorry about that. Enjoy! (24/01/2017)

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Voices**

Nexus woke up with a jolt. He was back in sickbay, where he woke up earlier. All he could remember was leaving sickbay and walking down a corridor, and figured he mustn't have made it very far.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see a cloaked figure standing in the corner. "Bad dream?" she said.

"I guess you could say that," Nexus replied. "You on supervising duty or something? Am I important enough for that?"

"Judging by what happened today, you must be."

Nexus sat up. "Where am I?"

"You're in Titans Tower. We took you in as a precaution after the incident with Mr. Freeze."

"Wait, so you're the Teen Titans? You must be Raven! Nice to meet you, I'm Nexus," he said, extending his hand. Raven reluctantly shook it. "Where are the others?"

"They're on their way," said Raven.

"I'd like to meet them too, if you don't mind..." Nexus began to climb out of the bed when Raven stopped him.

"I think you should stay in bed and get some rest. Last time you got out, you collapsed."

"Nah nah, I'm fine," Nexus persisted.

"No you're not. Stay in bed." Raven glared at him. It felt as though her eyes were burning into his soul. Given her reputation, they probably were.

"Not the trusting type, I see," Nexus said, staring back.

Before either of them could reply, the other four Titans entered the room.

"You must be Nexus. Welcome to Titans Tower. I'm Robin." Robin extended his hand. Nexus sat up and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Robin," said Nexus.

"This is Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy," said Robin, gesturing to each Titan as he introduced them, "and you've already met Raven." Nexus nodded politely at Raven, who refused to acknowledge him. "We'd like you to help us catch Mr. Freeze."

"I'd be happy to help in any way I can," Nexus replied. He noticed Robin discretely exchange glances with Raven. "But first, I need to take a leak. If you don't mind, could one of you show me where the men's room is?"

"No problem." Robin turned to Raven. "Raven, do you mind showing him the way?"

Raven sighed. "Not at all," she said with an obvious hint of sarcasm. She helped Nexus out of bed and he walked through the door. He looked back and saw Raven accidentally bump into Robin. Raven's cloak hid their hands from view as they apologised to each other and Raven left the room to lead the way. Nexus waited until they were far enough away from sickbay before he spoke.

"Don't think I didn't see that," he said.

"See what?"

"What did Robin give you?"

Raven suddenly grabbed his shoulders and roughly shoved him against the wall.

"I don't know what you're hiding," she seethed, "but whatever it is, I will do everything in my power to stop you from endangering my friends."

"Look, I know you think I have some sort of ulterior motive or something. If for some reason I did, you have my word it would not involve or endanger any of you. Now if you would please let me go..."

Raven wasn't letting go. "After you collapsed, we found that the main power board had been tampered with. It was you who disabled the security system, wasn't it?"

"No. If I did, I have no memory of doing so. Besides, since you just injected that tracker into my arm, you won't have me doing anything rash anytime soon. I assume that was a tracker, right? I did feel it." It had been very faint, but Nexus had indeed felt a small prick in his upper arm, which Raven had attempted to disguise by slamming him into the wall. "Now, if you don't mind, I would very much like relieve myself, and I'm not doing it here." Raven briefly hesitated before letting him go and leading the way.

As soon as he entered the cubicle he slumped onto the toilet seat. He didn't actually need to relieve himself; he was only there to get away from everyone else. He needed to think. He tried to remember what had happened when he first began wandering around the tower. He knew that he'd deliberately gotten out of bed because he wanted to know where he was. He remembered hearing faint voices in the distance, so he had started to walk down the corridor. He could not remember anything else. He thought that perhaps he had been sleepwalking, but he hadn't had any previous record of doing so.

Then he realised that the voices he heard were not the Titans.

He heard them again.

Nexus woke up with a jolt. He found himself lying on the floor of the cubicle, and someone was banging on the door. He tried to pick himself up but was too weak to do so. He suddenly felt sharp pains in his cranium and in the back of his neck. He reached for his forehead, then looked at his hand. Blood. He must have fallen forward and hit his head on the door.

The lock broke and the door swung open. Nexus looked up to see Robin standing over him. He felt himself being lifted onto Robin's shoulder, and the last thing he remembered was being carried out of the cubicle.


	4. Connection

**A/N:** FYI, Nexus is supposed to be Australian. Sorry I forgot to mention it in previous chapters. Also, I've renamed the second chapter to Five Dollars, as I thought it was more suitable.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Connection**

Raven knew something was definitely up with Nexus. She had been unable to sense any emotions from him, and when Cyborg had found that the power board was damaged, she knew it had to be him that did it. The timing was perfect. Walking into main ops immediately after the system had shut down can't have been coincidental.

She found standing outside the toilets rather awkward, but she knew why Robin had chosen her to escort Nexus. He saw that she showed visible signs of distrust towards Nexus back in sickbay, so he knew she would have shown less lenience towards the stranger, should he try to trick her into letting him go unsupervised.

She looked up and saw Robin approaching her. "Is he in there?" he asked, gesturing towards the toilet door. Raven nodded in reply. "Good. Did you put the tracker in him?" Robin whispered, in case Nexus was eavesdropping.

"Yeah, but he noticed," Raven replied. "He saw through our little charade back in sickbay." Robin sighed in frustration. "He denied tampering with the security system."

"That doesn't mean anything. You don't trust him, do you?"

"Not in the slightest." Raven noticed a gadget Robin was holding. "What have you got there?"

"It displays the results of the tracker. It also monitors his vital signs and other stuff like that."

Robin showed Raven the screen. "Is that red bar supposed to be that high?" she asked.

Robin turned the screen back around. "That doesn't look good. How long's he been in there?"

"About 20 minutes. I've been waiting for ages."

The monitor started beeping loudly. Robin looked up at Raven. "Stay here. I'm going in." He bolted through the door, accidentally dropping the monitor in the middle of the corridor. Raven peered through the closing door and saw Robin trying again and again to knock down the cubicle door. She was about to go in and help him when he finally got it open. She held the swinging door open as Robin rushed out with Nexus hanging over his shoulder. There was blood streaking from his head.

The monitor on the ground started beeping faster and faster.

* * *

Everyone except Beast Boy had gathered in main ops. They all sat at around the table while a live feed of Beast Boy from sickbay was displayed on the television screen. Cyborg had managed to knock up a makeshift connection between the two rooms.

"Wow, I feel really important right now," said Beast Boy. He was the one currently supervising Nexus.

"How's the patient, Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

"He looks like he's in a stable condition at the moment, but he could have another episode if we're not careful," Beast Boy replied.

"Right. Even if he is guilty, he's still our responsibility, so we have to find out what's happening to him and stop it. Is there any chance that it was not him who disabled the security system?"

"I ran a fingerprint check," said Cyborg, "it was definitely him who did it."

"Can I interrupt for a second?" asked Beast Boy. "'Cos I can see where this is going. How could Nexus know to disable the system at the exact time I tried to test my CD? Before you say anything, I swear I had nothing to do with it."

"We're not blaming you just yet, Beast Boy," Robin reassured him.

"When I spoke to Nexus," said Raven, "I accused him of tampering with the security system. He said that if he did, he had no memory of doing it."

"So?" said Beast Boy.

"So what if it's true? When he walked in on us, he looked pretty delirious. Maybe he doesn't remember anything from when he woke up the first time. Maybe something was controlling him."

"Mind control? Isn't that a little far-fetched?" said Beast Boy, confused.

They all glared at him. " _Seriously_?" said Cyborg. "You think that's far-fetched? You know we have superpowers, right?"

"Oh yeah... heh heh... good point."

"It is a reasonable theory, Raven," said Starfire, "but who would possess the power to do so?"

"May I make a suggestion?" asked Robin. "Raven, are you able to go into his subconscious mind, like you did with me? Have him share his memories with you?"

Raven was reluctant to reply. She didn't exactly feel comfortable going around through a complete stranger's head.

"Raven, his life and our safety are potentially at stake. We need to know if you can do it."

"Yes," Raven finally replied, "although to see his memories I'll need his consent. First we need to know for sure that he is being controlled."

"Hopefully, if what he says is true, he'll let you."

Raven wasn't so sure.

* * *

"You want to do WHAT?" Nexus was visibly shocked at the mere thought.

"Nexus," said Robin, "you need to understand that as far as we know, it was definitely you who tampered with the security system."

"I swear, I did _not_ do it."

"You did. What we're trying to find out is if you did it willingly," said Raven.

Nexus looked confused. "What, you're saying..."

"Do you remember anything from when you first woke up?" asked Robin.

"Well... not much, really. I... um.. woke up, wondered where I was for a few minutes, then got out of bed. I left the room to look around, and I heard voices. Very faint, but I could hear them. I started to follow them, 'cos I thought it was you guys. That's all I remember." He paused for a few seconds, as if he was trying to remember more. "When I was in the toilet, before I passed out, I was trying to remember what had happened. I heard those same voices again. I think I know what it was."

"Robin and I were outside talking," said Raven.

"No no, it wasn't you. Listen, there's these aliens. They call themselves the First... ARGH!" Nexus winced as he cradled his forehead.

"Nexus, are you alright?" Robin asked frantically.

"DO I LOOK ALRIGHT TO YOU?" Nexus yelled, writhing in agony. He took a deep breath in an attempt to suppress the pain. "Sorry. Look, I don't have time to explain. It's the First. They're doing this. I'm psychically linked to whichever one's controlling me. Raven, we need to do this _now_. We need to sever the connection before they cause a brain haemorrhage... ARGH!"

Raven began to levitate as she crossed her legs. "Nexus, I know it's hard, but you need to focus. You need to allow me into your thoughts. Let me experience your memories. Are you ready?"

Nexus took another deep breath. "Go for it."

Raven closed her eyes. "Azarath... Metrion... _Zinthos_."


	5. Thirty Dollars

**A/N:** Well then. It's been a while. I realised a had a few more chapters of this fanfic that I hadn't yet published, and I'm somewhat pleased with how this chapter turned out. I'm not guaranteeing that I will finish this fic, but you will definitely see more of it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Thirty Dollars**

 _Can you hear me, Nexus?_

 _Whoah, that's weird. Remind me never to let you do this again._

 _You have to focus, Nexus. Focus on what you want me to see._

 _I'm trying._

 _Find the memory and play it out in your head._

 _Okay, I think I've got it._

 _Good, keep focusing on that memory._

Raven opened her eyes. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. She tilted her head to the right and realised she was in some sort of bed. It was a hospital bed. She looked around the room and saw that there were other beds in the room that were empty. She was alone.

She realised how cold and damp she was. She was shivering uncontrollably. Her bed was drenched, and her clothes felt like solid ice against her skin. She looked at the table to her left and saw her dripping wet armour piled on top of it. She remembered the fight with that frozen man. She remembered him pulling the trigger. Being frozen. So cold. So numb.

 _You're getting distracted._

Raven had to find out where she was. What she was doing here. She leaned over and crawled out of bed. She was weak. Her legs wobbled and she had to brace herself against the wall. She grabbed one of the towels that were folded on the table and wrapped it around herself to keep warm. She slowly walked towards the door, strategically placing each step so she wouldn't collapse.

She made it through the door, which automatically slid open for her. She emerged into a dark corridor and came to the conclusion that she was not in hospital. She looked both ways, trying to assess where to go first. She heard faint voices in the distance.

 _Focus on the voices._

Raven turned right and followed the voices. As she continued through the corridor she found it surprisingly easier to walk. She could no longer feel any hypothermic symptoms. The voices were becoming clearer, and she realised that she wasn't physically hearing them. They were in her head.

It was an incantation. Something in a language she'd never heard before. In fact, she wasn't sure if it even was a language. No, she was certain it wasn't. It felt as though the incantation was communicated in a way the human brain could not comprehend, and the unintelligible voices were merely an illusion caused by the brain's attempt to translate it.

She was no longer cold. The voices were becoming clearer. She was beginning to understand.

 _Yes, it's all clear now._

The towel fell to the floor. The First had gained control.

 _Raven, you still there? Raven?_

 _Ugh... yeah... it's just... I can't do anything. The First are controlling me now._

 _Can you see anything?_

 _Yeah... but it's all a blur. Nothing's coherent. Try to focus more on the voices._

 _I'll try._

Raven found herself tampering with the security system. Suddenly she was walking through a door. "Was that dubstep?" she said wearily. She collapsed.

 _Raven? What did you see?_

 _It was still a blur, but all I could see was you deactivating the security system._

 _Can we try again? See if we missed anything?_

 _We'd be wasting our time. We'd only get the same results._

 _Hang on. Can you hear that?_

 _What?_

 _The voices. I can hear them._

 _Nexus, try to isolate them. Don't think about..._

 _Don't tell me what not to think about. I'll start thinking about it._

 _Just... focus on the voices._

 _Alright. Here we go..._

 _...I've almost found the connection. Keep focusing._

 _I am._

 _Oh no. They know I'm here. They're trying to block me out._

 _Raven, don't resist. You'll..._

Raven stood behind a desk. She looked around. Records, music memorabilia and posters of famous bands hung on the walls. She realised she was a cashier at a music store.

 _That's not right. I don't remember this._

 _I don't think these are your memories._

 _Then whose are they?_

Raven looked at her name badge.

 _Looks like they belong to someone called Nora._

 _What's a cashier called Nora got to do with me? Unless..._

Raven heard a bell and looked up. A boy was walking through the door. He must have been going to a fancy dress party or something, because he wore a black and purple costume and his skin was painted green.

 _Beast Boy? What's he doing here?_

Raven heard the voices again, but it felt different this time. She was experiencing the memories as if they were her own, like last time, yet she also felt as though she was observing the events from afar. She still had no control over her actions.

"Hi there, how can I help you?" she asked.

"Hey, do you have Captain Aztech's latest album?"

"We do. It's on that shelf over there." Raven was unusually monotonous in her speech, even for her, which was obviously the result of the mind control. Beast Boy slapped the CD case onto the desk and Raven scanned the barcode. "That's thirty dollars."

Beast Boy looked through his wallet and glumly took out a measly five dollars. "I'm sorry, I'll come back later..."

"No," demanded Raven, "I'll take the five." She wasn't doing out of pity.

"Really? You mean it?" Beast Boy's frown turned into a smile.

"Give me the five dollars."

"Thanks! Thanks so much!" Beast Boy gave her the money, took the CD and turned to leave. He paused, then turned back around. "Excuse me, what happened to the other guy that worked here?" he asked.

"He is unavailable," said Raven, "so I am filling in for him."

"Oh, what happened to him?"

"He is unavailable."

"Oh... okay. Thanks again!" Beast Boy exited through the door and skipped away with glee.

Raven heard the voices again. She turned and entered the back room. She gasped as she saw the dead body of the shop's owner.

 _Nexus, why did we see this?_

 _She was being controlled by the First as well. They must've redirected you into her memories._

 _So you're saying... she was put there by the First so Beast Boy would buy the CD?_

 _Must've done._

 _But how did they know he'd be..._

 _The voices. They're getting louder._

 _We don't have much time. Focus on the voices again._

 _But Raven, what if you start seeing the memories of their other victims?_

 _I have a plan to isolate the connection. We need to sever it for good._

 _Okay. Here goes..._

 _That's it, hold the focus..._

Raven found herself floating in a black void. She had cast a spell that allowed her to exist in Nexus' subconscious mind as if it were a physical place. She needed to find the connection between the two minds. She closed her eyes and focused. She heard the voices. Exactly what she needed.

She opened her eyes and allowed the source of the voices to manifest. Looming over her was a giant silhouette that was vaguely humanoid but unusual in its shape, representing the First's presence in Nexus' mind. As she looked on, it grew larger and larger. Shards of glass began to fall from above.

Nexus' mind was falling apart. The First were attempting to kill him for good, and they had almost succeeded.

 ** _You are foreign. You do not belong here._**

Raven heard the voice in her mind. The First had noticed that she was still there and were now trying to kill her too.

The growing shadow reached down and grabbed Raven with its massive hand. She struggled in vain as she tried to escape its grasp. As she was lifted up, she found herself face to face with two massive glowing eyes. This was her last chance to break the connection.

Raven stared right back at the shadow. "You don't belong here either." She closed her eyes.

"Azarath... Metrion... ZINTHOS!"

Immediately the silhouette shattered like glass, and the hand holding Raven crumbled into tiny pieces.

Raven found herself falling. She was helpless as she descended into the void below.

Then an entire lifetime of memories flashed before her eyes. But they weren't hers.


	6. Everything

**Chapter 6: Everything**

"...out of it, Raven..."

"...hey Robin, he's waking up!"

"Nexus, can you hear me? Nexus?"

Nexus' eyes shot open. Immediately he winced at the blinding light.

"Are you with us, Nexus?"

"Hm?" Nexus grunted, realising he was being spoken to. "Yeah, yeah, I'm... I'm fine..."

"She's not breathing! Robin, we gotta do something!"

His eyes were still adjusting as he hazily pondered as to why someone wouldn't be breathing.

 _Raven._

Nexus shot up and crawled to the edge of the bed. Raven was unconscious on the floor. Robin was leaning over her, looking for a response, while Cyborg was frantically checking her vitals on the computer.

 _Oh god. What have I done?_

Robin was about to commence CPR when Raven suddenly awakened with a gasp.

"Raven! Are you okay?" Robin asked, surprised.

Raven said nothing. She stared intensely at the floor, visibly shaken. Nexus found it more unsettling than the others did. He was anxious to know if Raven had succeeded in severing the link between his mind and those of the First, and judging by her current state, the outcome couldn't have been good.

"Raven? Did you sever the connection?" Robin asked, beating him to the question.

She remained staring at the floor, unresponsive. Nexus watched as she slowly took her eyes off the floor and began staring at him, the same traumatised expression on her face.

"Raven?"

Her eyes shot back to Robin. "Y... yeah. It worked," she said after a long silence. Nexus sighed in relief.

Robin helped her up. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Raven replied, almost absent-mindedly. She glanced again at Nexus.

Robin turned to show her out. "You should get some rest..."

"Can I have a word with Nexus?" Raven suddenly asked. "In private?"

Robin and Cyborg exchanged confused glances, then left the room. Puzzled, Nexus lowered himself from the bed and approached Raven cautiously.

"What is it?" he finally asked.

Raven was hesitant. "I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Woah, woah, okay. I'm not a mind reader. Just... tell me what happened."

"Well... I managed to sever the connection. But before I could get out of your head... I found myself falling... and then I saw..." Her voice trailed off.

"What did you see?" Nexus insisted.

Raven looked into his eyes. "Your life. All of it."

Nexus stared at her in disbelief. He realised what she said was entirely plausible. No, he had to make sure.

"Who was my teacher in Grade 3?" he asked, making sure to pick the most obscure question he could think of.

"Mrs Whitewood. You hated her because she made you stay behind after school for accidentally spilling her coffee."

It was completely accurate. She was right. She had been through his memories. Nexus sighed and slammed his fist on the table.

"Look, I'm sorry," said Raven, growing agitated. "Trust me, I did not want to see _any_ of it, but they're _your_ memories, and I had no right to invade your privacy..."

Nexus sighed again. "No, no, it's okay," he replied, trying desperately to remain calm. "Well... it's not okay, but the point is, it's not your fault. Please, just... promise not to share any of it."

"You have my word," Raven promised. The two both stared awkwardly in different directions for a few seconds. Raven broke the silence. "We're all having pizza later tonight. Care to join us?"

Nexus was surprised. "Depends. Do you trust me?"

"I've just been inside your mind. I know everything about you. Of course I trust you. The question is, do you trust me?"

Nexus didn't know how to answer. Did he trust her? He honestly didn't know. Sure, she was one of the Teen Titans, but you know what they say about meeting your heroes...

"Sure. I'll be there."

"I'll let the others know. See you then." Raven left the infirmary.

"Yeah..." Nexus said under his breath. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. It was all a bit of a shock. A girl he barely knew now had access to his whole lifetime. Everything he had done, everything he had been through, everything he never wanted anyone to know about, had all been taken from him.

 _I know everything about you._

He cried out in anger as he lurched forward and punched the wall again and again with his bare fist. He yelled out again as he kicked the table, then knocked its contents off of its surface with his arms. The sections of his armour and several pieces of surgical equipment were scattered across the floor. He kicked each piece of armour across the room and let out one last scream before collapsing onto the floor. He curled himself up into a ball and silently wept.

* * *

"And then she walks over to me, and I'm like 'Um... can I help you?' And she full on stares at me for like ten seconds, and then she slaps me. I'm thinking, what was that for? I don't even know this woman... Turns out, because I was taking a selfie next to the _Clash of the Planets_ stall, the television-deprived mother of three thought I was filming her children. You know, like any nerdy twelve year old kid wearing a _Clash of the Planets_ shirt would do in a department store full of _Clash of the Planets_ merchandise on special."

"You like _Clash of the Planets_?" Beast Boy asked Nexus eagerly from the other side of the table.

"I did," Nexus replied, "but then I hit puberty. That's when I started being able to do this..."

Nexus held out his hand. A slice of pizza vanished from its box and reappeared in his hand. "Basically I can teleport stuff. Time sort of goes in slow motion, so I look at the object I want to teleport and it disappears. Then I look somewhere else, like my hand for example, and it reappears in that location. Not as complicated as it sounds, really." He took a bite of the pizza. "I can also lift heavy stuff and hit people really hard, which is either really cool or really violent, depending on who you ask."

"I see," said Robin, "so I'm guessing you're not from around here, then?"

"Ah, yes, the accent," Nexus replied. "If you couldn't already tell, it's an Australian accent. I am in fact from Australia." He looked over at Beast Boy and pointed at him. "No! I know what you're thinking! Don't do it!"

"I can't help it," Beast Boy replied, "I gotta do it!"

"Nope!"

"I'm gonna!"

" _Nope!_ "

Beast Boy took a deep breath. " _Let's throw anutha shrimp on tha barbie!_ " Beast Boy blurted out in the most hideous attempt at an Australian accent one could possibly conceive. Everyone cringed.

" _Noooo!_ " cried Nexus. This level of butchering Australian slang should be a crime against humanity. "They're prawns, not shrimp!"

Everyone laughed. The night continued as Nexus and the Titans stuffed themselves with pizza. After they had finished, they decided to bring out their old TV and VCR to compensate for the ruined playback system. Beast Boy had found some of his old _Clash of the Planets_ VHS tapes, so they all decided to entertain themselves with childhood classics. Nexus was especially excited. He'd grown up watching this show and he found rewatching it rather nostalgic.

That is, until episode title appeared on the screen: _Sparky's Brain_.

 _Yay_ , thought Nexus sarcastically, _the worst episode of all time. Oh well, at least we can laugh as how hilariously bad it is._

He had forgotten how cheesy the dialogue was. There were also really obvious stunt doubles and even more obvious special effects. The plot was hilariously stupid. It involved one of the characters having their brain stolen, causing the main characters to use a device that lets them control his brainless body. Except they were literally using a simple remote control with two buttons.

Nexus thought that was an absolutely ridiculous concept to use two buttons to have total control over someone's body.

 _They have total control over your body._

Nexus suddenly found himself sprinting out of the room. He stopped halfway down the corridor and braced himself against the wall as he found himself gasping for air.

 _Total control._

He was sweating profusely. His vision was blurred. He could barely stay standing.

 _ **Total control.**_

He could hear the voices again. "No... no..."

 ** _TOTAL CONTROL._**

"NO!"

"NEXUS!"

The familiar voice brought him slowly back to his senses. He turned to see Raven next to him.

"I can hear them, Raven! I can still hear them!"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Nexus," she said calmly, "take a deep breath." Nexus was hesitant, but reluctantly did so. "Now repeat after me: the connection is broken, and I am free."

He was still sure that he could still hear the voices. "But it's not true! I can hear them! Any second now, they're gonna use..."

"Nexus!" Raven interrupted. "Please, just trust me. The connection is broken and I am free. Say it."

Nexus took another deep breath. "The... connection is broken... and... I am free..."

"Good. Now say it again."

Nexus said it again with more confidence. "The connection is broken... and I am free..."

"One more time. Say it."

Nexus realised just how much tension was building up in his body. He drew in one last deep breath, clenching all of his muscles. He let go as he exhaled, releasing all of the tension in his body. He was at last relaxed.

"The connection is broken, and I am free."

"Can you hear the voices now?" Raven asked.

Nexus realised that there were no voices at all. "No. They're gone."

"They're not gone," explained Raven, "they just weren't there to begin with. Clearly that episode reminded you of the psychic link, and your brain started messing with you. You thought you heard the voices but you didn't."

Nexus couldn't think of a decent reply, so he simply said "Thanks."

Raven began making her way back to main ops. "You coming?"

Nexus couldn't stand going back in. Not after his little episode. "Nah, I think I might just go back to sickbay, get some rest, you know?"

"I understand." Raven then remembered something. "We have a spare bedroom. You wanna use it? Just for the night?"

Nexus pondered the idea. Sleeping in an actual bed sounded nice. "Sure. Why not?"

"Great. It's just this way."

Raven began leading Nexus through the corridors. As Nexus followed her lead, he felt that despite their brief rivalry, Raven was indeed turning out to be alright.

 _I know everything about you._

"NO!"

Nexus stopped in his tracks, staring at the floor. Raven turned to him.

"Nexus? Are you okay?"

Nexus continued staring at the floor, his face bearing a look of despair.

"Nexus, listen to me. I know I have your memories, but you have my word that I will never share any of it with anyone. These memories are not my own or anyone else's business, and I will never use any of them for my own personal gain. I _promise_."

Nexus slowly looked back up at Raven. The look of sincerity on her face convinced him that the only way to deal with the situation was to trust her.

But he still wasn't so sure.

"Yeah. Sure."


	7. Infiltration

**Chapter 7: Infiltration**

 _Come on Raven. Let me out. Let me show you who I really am. Just one little peek._

 ** _No._**

Raven opened her eyes. It was still dark. She hadn't had much sleep. She found it hard to relax due to having the complete experiences of a complete stranger stored inside her head.

She had to try again.

Raven picked up the mirror she used for meditating and held it in front of her face. She closed her eyes as she began to levitate.

"Azarath... Metrion... _Zinthos_."

Raven opened her eyes and found herself inside the realm of her own unconscious mind. Standing before her was the silhouette of Nexus.

 _What are you going to do with me, Raven? Destroy me?_

 _I can't. Doing so will kill me. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to lock you away._

 _You can't do that! It's too late, I've already plagued your mind!_

 _I can't get rid of you. But I can stop you from causing any more damage. You can't live here. This is my mind, not yours._

 _You're making a mistake, Raven._

 _Trust me, I'm not._

Raven formed an impenetrable cage around the vague representation of Nexus, and watched as it descended into the void below.

 _Raven!_ **_Raven!_**

Raven opened her eyes. Robin's voice could be heard from her communicator, which was beeping frantically. She looked around and saw that it was already daylight.

"Raven! Come in!"

Raven clicked a button on the communicator. "I'm here. Sorry, I was meditating."

"Raven, Central Park is under attack! We need you NOW!"

"On my way!" Raven leaped out of bed and ran through the door. She was about to head down the corridor when she realised something. She ran the other way towards the room where Nexus was sleeping.

She opened the door. Nexus was sitting on the side of the bed.

"Nexus, the Titans need our help!" she told him.

Nexus looked surprised. "But I'm not a Titan."

Raven took out of her pocket a spare communicator and threw it to Nexus. "You are now."

Nexus looked at his new communicator, then back to Raven. "Sweet!"

* * *

Many die-hard fans of a wide range of musicians had gathered in Central Park for the annual music festival, where famous musicians from all throughout the state collaborated to put on one magnificent concert.

At least, they would have been, if their stage hadn't been hijacked and the crowd wasn't running around in a mass panic with their fingers in their ears.

"It's time to put on some real music!" yelled out a familiar cockney accent.

The delinquent in the orange jumpsuit known as Punk Rocket stood on the stage strumming his guitar, blasting deafening sound waves towards the fleeing audience.

"What's the matter? Can't handle the sound of chaos?" he taunted.

"The only people who'll be handling that will be your fellow prisoners!"

Punk Rocket turned around only to see Robin delivering a flying kick to his face, sending him tumbling to the end of the stage. Before Robin could catch up to him, Punk Rocket sat up, reached for his guitar and strummed it again, sending Robin flying off the stage.

"Titans, GO!" Robin yelled into his communicator. Starfire appeared, firing green energy blasts in Punk Rocket's direction. Cyborg appeared soon after, riding on the back of a green velociraptor and firing his laser cannon in the same direction. Punk Rocket produced another sonic blast to deflect the attacks, jumped onto his guitar, which also functioned as a hoverboard, and fled in the opposite direction.

"Ha _HA_! You can't catch me!" he yelled out. He suddenly found himself hurtling towards a solid black wall that had materialised in front of him. He swerved out of the way, only to slam face-first into a tree branch. He plummeted to the ground; as he picked himself up, he saw the shadowy figure of Raven looming over him.

"It's over," she said. "Give yourself up."

"Not a chance, luv!"

Raven suddenly noticed that Punk Rocket sported two metal gauntlets, and he was pointing them at her. Both gauntlets let out another sonic blast, which flung her into a nearby tree, causing her to smack her head on the stump. She wearily picked herself up. "That's new," she said, cradling her head.

"Oi! Don't you think you've had enough playtime?"

Punk Rocket looked to his left and saw Nexus facing him. "Oh, I'm just gettin' started, mate!"

"Before you do that," said Nexus, "perhaps I should give you a taste of your own medicine." Nexus' eyes darted over to the guitar lying on the ground. He had a look of intense concentration on his face. He blinked hard multiple times, as if he was trying to retain focus. After a few seconds, he looked back at Punk Rocket, abashed. "I'm sorry, this usually works."

Punk Rocket fired his gauntlets at Nexus, throwing him into another tree. This time the head injury knocked him out cold.

Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy had almost caught up, so Punk Rocket ran towards his guitar, but before he could reach it, he was hit by one of the energy blasts, which sent him to the ground. He crawled towards the guitar, but just as it was in reach, it was picked up by Robin.

"It looks like your career is over," Robin said confidently. In a last ditch attempt at beating the Titans, Punk Rocket pointed his gauntlets at Robin, but before he could fire, Robin strummed the guitar, sending a sonic wave that short circuited his gauntlets.

"No! Not now!" he cried.

Robin lifted the guitar in the air.

"No no no no no! No! Don't do it! Please don't do it, mate! I'll do anything!"

Robin smirked. He swung the guitar towards the ground, smashing it to pieces.

"NO! No, my baby! What have you done to my baby?" Punk Rocket was reduced to tears.

The Titans tied him up and handed him over to the police, who had shown up almost as soon as the battle had ended. Nexus was still out cold, so Robin used this opportunity to confront Raven.

"Raven, we need to talk," Robin said, walking up to her.

"Is this about him?" Raven gestured towards their unconscious acquaintance. Robin nodded in reply. "Robin, I can explain..."

"Letting him have dinner with us is one thing, but bringing him along on a mission? Without consulting me or the rest of the team? We don't know who he is or where he's from. We can't trust him!"

"Just hear me out. Please."

Robin sighed and relented. "What is it?"

"Well, when I was in his mind... breaking the connection must have made me lose focus, because... I saw his life. All of it."

"You mean... you know everything about him?"

Raven sighed. "Every detail. I promised him not to tell you or anyone else about his past. But what matters is that he's on our side, and he needs our help."

"I see," said Robin. "Are you certain you trust him?"

"I trust him with my life."

"Alright. I trust you." Robin began to walk away before turning back. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do. It was all so fast. I mean, I suddenly had someone's entire life stored inside my head..."

"Raven," said Robin, putting a hand in her shoulder, "if there's a problem, you need to tell us. There's no use keeping secrets. We have to trust each other."

"I know. I should've told..."

"Hey guys," Cyborg yelled out to them, "he's waking up!"

Robin and Raven ran over to Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy, who were crowding around Nexus.

"Ohh gosh, what happened?" Nexus asked wearily.

"You were hit by a sonic blast and you hit your head," said Cyborg.

"Yeah yeah, I know that bit, I mean with the... thingy..." Nexus' voice trailed off.

"What is this 'thingy' you speak of?" asked Starfire.

"The... thingy... the _guitar_! The guitar, that's it!" Nexus sat up while slowly regaining focus.

"You mean Punk Rocket's guitar?" asked Beast Boy. "But that got smashed!"

"No! Before that, you fool!" said Nexus. "I was... um... trying to use my powers on the guitar, you know? Transport it into my hands. But it didn't... it didn't work..."

"Look," said Robin, "we'll figure out what went wrong later, but for now, let's get you back to Titans Tower..."

"No, you... you don't understand... I reckon something was preventing me from using my powers on it..." Nexus caused a broken stick to materialise in his hand. "See, my powers still work, so it must've only been the guitar." Nexus stood up quickly, then braced himself on the tree to stop himself from falling.

"Careful there!" said Cyborg, slinging Nexus' arm over his shoulder. The two hopped over to the broken remains of the guitar, and Cyborg lowered him down carefully so he could take a proper look. Nexus sifted through the many pieces until he found a familiar gadget embedded within the remains of the guitar.

"Of course! A transmat device. Feel that?" He handed it to Cyborg.

"There's a slight vibration..." said Cyborg, "but any kind of machinery would vibrate to some degree."

"That's true," Nexus replied, "but what's special about this one is that it's specially calibrated to vibrate at a frequency that deflects my powers. Now who would create a device that's specifically designed to incapacitate _me_?" Nexus looked up at the Titans, who did not reply. "That wasn't rhetorical, there is an element of Q and A to this."

"The First," Robin replied.

"Bingo!" said Nexus.

"But why get someone as unskilled as Punk Rocket to try and take us down?" asked Beast Boy.

"Is that what he's actually called?" Nexus asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's what he's called."

"Gosh."

"Yeah. I know, right?"

"Someone like him is only good enough for a distraction," said Raven. "But a distraction from what?"

All six heroes realised their mistake. Their security system was down. The Tower was completely unattended.

"They're setting a trap," said Nexus.

"We're screwed!" cried Beast Boy.

"What shall we do now?" asked Starfire.

"The only thing we can do," replied Robin. "We spring the trap."


	8. Victor

**Chapter 8: Victor**

It was the heat he felt first. Very faint, but he could feel the temperature rise ever so slightly.

Then came the sound. A roaring, burning sound that grew unbearably loud.

Victor cautiously tread through the deep snow to the outside of the cave. He looked up. To his horror, a massive raging fireball was descending from the sky and heading straight towards him.

He desperately scanned the horizon. In the distance, he could see the young Inuit boy he loved so dearly running in his direction.

"Mr. Fries! Mr. Fries!"

 _No. He has to go back. It's too dangerous._

"KOONAK! KOONAK, TURN AROUND! RUN, KOONAK! **_RUN!_** "

He waited anxiously for Koonak to process what he had said, and breathed a sigh of relief when the boy turned and ran the other way.

The noise was now deafening, and the heat was excruciating. Victor struggled greatly to trudge back into the cave in which he resided. He clutched his ears while his body began to overheat, and he was losing more and more of his energy. Soon the raging inferno would crash nearby, and Victor would be burnt alive. He dropped to his knees, ready to accept his fate.

 _Nora._

He looked up. In front of him was his beautiful wife, floating like an angel in front of him. He used the last of his energy to lift his hand and place it on the glass.

 _Farewell, my love. We shall meet again soon._

* * *

"...hear me Mr. Fries? Mr. Fries, wake up!"

Victor opened his eyes. He soon fully regained his sight and saw the face of Koonak staring down at him.

 _Is this the afterlife? No, I told him to run! I told him to... Nora? Where is Nora?_

"You made it, Mr. Fries," Koonak told him, "you survived!"

 _What? I can't have... I feel no pain... I feel... cool..._

Victor realised just what was making him feel this cool. He looked in front of him and saw that he was buried in a heap of snow and several blocks of ice. He realised that he was, in fact, still alive.

"The ice from the roof of the cave fell and kept you cool," Koonak explained to him.

Victor moved slowly out of his position, stood up and brushed the sleet off his clothes. He turned around and breathed another sigh of relief when he saw that the glass chamber containing his wife was still completely intact.

 _Perhaps our time isn't up after all._

Victor and Koonak made their way to the mouth of the cave. Before them in the distance was a massive hole in the ice that extended several miles towards the horizon. Victor walked over to the edge of the broken ice and dived into the water. He swam down several metres before seeing what lay at the very bottom of the sea bed.

A spaceship.

 _No. It's too dangerous._

Victor climbed out of the water, and he and Koonak returned to their cave.

"What are you doing, Mr. Fries?" Koonak asked, concerned about what his surrogate father was doing.

"I have to investigate whatever landed in the sea. It could be very dangerous for all we know." Victor opened a special chest he used only in extreme circumstances. He removed a rolled up map from the chest and handed it to Koonak. "If I don't return within three hours, I want you to follow this map to the nearest settlement. Stay there and show them where to find Nora. I've marked on the map where we are now, so it will be easy for them. They'll look after you, you'll be safe there."

Koonak was on the verge of tears. Victor knelt down and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry, Koonak," Victor said, comforting him, "I'm sure it will be nothing. I just want you to know what to do in case something bad happens. I'm very proud of you. You know that?"

Koonak nodded. Victor stood back up and walked over to his chest. "I won't be long," he said as he pulled his cryogenic suit and ice gun from out of the chest.

* * *

Victor, now fully suited up, descended lower into the depths of the Arctic Sea. As he gained a closer look at the spaceship he saw that it was elliptical in its shape, and the exterior was constructed from a strange shiny blue metal. Strangely he noticed that the ship had no windows, and as he further approached it, he saw that its only entry point was a small hatch on its left side. Victor reached out to see if he could open the hatch, but before he made his attempt the door automatically swung open.

Victor swam through the hatch, which closed behind him. He found himself in a small room, and he expected the water to drain out, but instead the door in front of him opened, leading into a water filled hallway. He continued through the long passageway, but before he could reach the room at the end, he suddenly found himself trapped within a strange force-field bubble. He tried to break out of it, but he was unsuccessful.

Suddenly the bubble began to rise up into a tube in the ceiling, and emerged in a large, spacious room that was shrouded in darkness. The bubble disappeared, and Victor found himself standing on solid, dry ground.

The room suddenly housed five blindingly bright lights that all shone at Victor, who tried to shield his eyes with no success.

 _Why have you taken an interest in our vessel?_

"Wh... what?"

 _Answer the question._

"I don't... I don't underst..."

 _Answer the question._

Victor sighed. He had no idea who he was talking to. "You want to know why I took an interest in your vessel? Because your vessel nearly killed my family!"

There was a delayed response from the calm and unsettling voice.

 _We apologise for our negligence. Our vessel is damaged. We had little control during our descent._

The voice he heard was devoid of all emotion.

"Who are you, and why have you come here?" Victor asked.

Again, he waited a long time for the response.

 _We are the First. We have come for a certain human boy entitled 'Nexus'. You are well equipped. Therefore, we would be appreciative if you were to retrieve it for us._

"I'm sorry? Who is this Nexus? What exactly do you want with him?"

 _We are unable to explain to you the significance of its being. We can only ask that you agree to our terms and retrieve the boy for us._

Victor wasn't going to do them a favour without knowing what they will do.

"Or what?"

Victor blacked out.

When he came to, he found himself still standing where he stood before.

Standing in front of him was Nora.

 _You will not remember the events that have just transpired. It was you that brought the woman to our vessel. You were under our control._

"How dare you!"

 _These are the terms of our agreement. If you agree to retrieve the boy entitled 'Nexus', the woman standing before you will be cured, and will be released once you complete our task. Failure to comply will result in the termination of both of your lives. Will you comply?_

Victor was left with a difficult choice. If he agreed, his beloved wife would finally be free and well, but not knowing what they plan to do with this 'Nexus' was a massive risk that the future of the human race could potentially depend on. Not agreeing would result in both of their deaths, but the First would be unable to find 'Nexus' on their own.

They would just find another person to find him. In this case, taking the selfless option was the illogical option. His only choice was to help the First and pray that whatever they planned to do would be merciful.

"Alright. I'll do it."

 _Thank you, Victor. We shall enjoy working with you very much._

* * *

 **A/N:** Big thanks to those who have followed, reviewed and favourited so far! I decided to go for something different here and provide some context as to why Mr. Freeze was working for the First. For the voices of the First, I've always imagined something similar to that of HAL 9000, and for now I'm keeping their physical appearance a mystery. Thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed it.


	9. Traitor

**Chapter 9: Traitor**

 _Beware. One of you is the traitor._

The Teen Titans stood facing the entrance to their tower. The giant T-shaped structure loomed over them, and for the first time in a long time, their own home was their biggest threat.

"So, I guess this is it," said Beast Boy solemnly, as if the world were about to end.

"The world's not about to end, BB!" Cyborg retorted. "We just don't know what's in there."

"I might be able to scope out the place," said Raven. "If there's anyone or anything in there, I'll let you know."

"How are you gonna do that?" Nexus asked.

"I have my ways," she replied. As she turned towards the building, Beast Boy reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Be careful," he blurted.

"Beast Boy," said Raven, startled, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh. Right." Beast Boy awkwardly pulled his hand away and let out a nervous laugh.

Raven approached the entrance. She closed her eyes and began to levitate. "Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos." Her eyes shot open with a blinding glow. The Titans stood there watching; slowly spreading from the base of the Tower was a layer of dark, black energy which gradually engulfed the entire structure. An astral projection of herself as a raven appeared and entered the tower.

Raven spent several minutes in her state of levitation, her hands moving as though they were rearranging objects, searching the Tower thoroughly for any sign of threat.

The Titans had sat themselves down on the grass during the wait. Starfire noticed that Robin was looking rather concerned, so she approached him.

"Is something the matter, Robin?"

"Not really, Star. It's just..." Robin hesitated, unsure. "On the way here, I... I heard a voice. It said that one of us is a traitor. I was probably imagining it, though."

"That is certainly strange," said Starfire, similarly confused. "I believe I heard the same voice."

Robin quickly turned to face Starfire, shocked. "You did?"

"Hey guys," Beast Boy called out, "look!"

They all turned their heads to the tower and watched as the dark energy covering Titans Tower dissipated. The black bird returned to Ravens body and she lowered herself to the ground. The Titans crowded around her.

"How did you go, Raven?" Robin asked.

Raven seemed rather dumbfounded. "There's... nothing. It's all clear."

"What?" said Cyborg. "Are you sure?"

"I looked everywhere," Raven replied, "every room, every crevice, every ventilation duct. Nothing. Not a thing."

There was an awkward silence. "Then what the heck was the point of the distraction?" Robin exclaimed.

"I don't know," Raven said sincerely. "All I know is that this isn't what they were distracting us from."

"Maybe they didn't know where our base was," suggested Beast Boy. Everyone glared at him.

"Beast Boy," said Raven, "we live in a giant T."

"Well, uh..." Beast Boy scratched his head. "They... don't necessarily... know that..."

"Well, Raven," said Robin, "if you're absolutely sure..."

"I'm absolutely sure."

"Alright. Let's go in."

As the team began to enter the tower, Cyborg stopped in his tracks. A two-dimensional black square appeared in front of him. He blinked a few times, and the square was gone. He looked around in confusion.

"Hey, Cyborg," Nexus called out, "you alright?"

"Y... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Cyborg dismissed it as a glitch in his retinal implant and continued walking.

* * *

Nothing really seemed right in Titans Tower. It was difficult for the Titans to figure out whether they were in danger or if they were simply paranoid. Even so, the Tower could be attacked at any time, and the Titans were the only line of defence.

The Titans had gathered in the lounge in order to discuss their next course of action. There was an air of distrust among the group.

"Okay, Titans," said Robin, "we can't deal with the First unless we know what we're up against. Nexus, since you're now an... honorary Titan, we need your help. Care to elaborate?"

"Sure," Nexus replied. "Alright, so I don't exactly know much about them, except I've been running from them for the last five years. Ever since I developed these powers, the First have been after me. You see, they already had a ship on Earth at that time, and they were taking control of any police officer and government agent they could get their hands on. Thing is, at the time, they didn't know I had powers, so it was pretty easy to defeat them. But they'd already contacted the rest of their race, so I knew I had to go off the grid for a while. It's been pretty pleasant, actually. Got to travel across Europe. You know, I had absolutely no idea there aren't actually wild gorillas in Greece! Would you believe that?"

The others glared at him. "Yes, I would believe that," said Raven.

"Hey, I grew up with video games," said Nexus, defending himself, "you wouldn't believe the stuff they get wrong in those games."

"Ohhh, I think I know which one you mean!" said Beast Boy.

"Hey! See, someone gets me!"

Robin was growing impatient. "Can you get on with it please, Nexus?"

"Yeah," said Nexus, "sorry. So I ended up in Jump City, 'cause I have friends here and didn't want to be lonely, and I guess that's finally when the First showed up again. Only took 'em, like, four years, but they got there."

"Why do they want you?" Robin inquired.

"Well, I'm assuming it's got something to do with my powers. From what I've gathered, my abilities are a side effect of something they did to me at some point. They'd been monitoring me for quite a while. And no, I don't know what they did."

"What, so you're the MacGuffin? Cool!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Nexus scoffed, offended. "Huh. Says you, Mister Comic Relief."

"Hey!"

"So how do we know you're not going to betray us?" said Robin.

"Excuse me?" said Nexus in confusion.

"Robin," said Raven, "we've been through this!"

"All this time, you've somehow been engineered by these creatures." Robin was becoming aggressive. "You might be okay now, but you said it yourself! Even you don't know who you are anymore!"

"I'd really rather not discuss this," said Nexus.

Robin took a deep breath. "Listen to me, Nexus. Raven trusts you with her life, and I trust her with mine. But we don't know what you are. None of us do. And that makes you dangerous. It's my job to protect this team..."

"I get it," Nexus interjected, "I really do. I'm sorry. I'll get my things."

Nexus slowly stood up, hanging his head in shame, before hastily leaving the room.

The Titans looked around awkwardly, unsure of how to act. Robin looked back at Raven, who returned his gaze with anger. She left her seat and walked towards the door.

"Raven, wait!" Robin ran after Raven, who stopped in her tracks before the door and turned to face him.

"What was all that about?" she whispered angrily. "He was trying to help us, and that's what he gets?"

"Raven, please tell me you heard it too. That voice."

"Of course I heard it. Everyone heard it."

Robin looked surprised. "You sure?"

"I could sense their distrust a mile away. They thought they imagined it, but it's a thought that's been planted." Raven sighed. "Think about it. When the whole team hears a voice telling them they're gonna be betrayed, who's gonna be the first person they look to?"

There was a look of realisation on Robin's face.

"Can't you see, Robin? It's the First. They're playing games with us. This is what they want! They're tearing us apart piece by piece!"

Robin contemplated deeply, before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I stand by my decision. But we have to stick together..."

Raven sighed and left the room.

"Raven!"

Robin stood there, conflicted. He turned around to find the rest of the team looking at him.

"Show's over, folks."

* * *

Nexus was packing. His backpack was made out of advanced Kevlar in order to protect his belongings during battle. At times he often stuffed in bubble wrap or scrunched-up newspaper to stop them from breaking. He didn't have any at the moment.

Nexus' head was still throbbing. He was lucky; if it weren't for his mutation, he'd have serious brain damage by now. He sat himself on the edge of the bed and looked out of the window. He hadn't yet seized the opportunity to take in the view during the day. It was a beautiful day, and the clear skies and sunlight made the all buildings in Jump City sparkle. He felt like he was staying in a five-star hotel in Vegas. The pretty mural covering the walls and ceiling only added to the illusion.

He suddenly heard a knocking on the door. "Nexus? It's me, Raven."

"Yeah, come in."

The door slid open and Raven stood in the doorway. "Sorry about Robin," she said.

"Nah, that's fine," Nexus replied, "he's probably right anyway. By the way, thanks for... you know, not telling them..."

"Not telling them what?" said Raven. "That the First are parasites? Or the fact that you killed everyone on that ship? They deserve to know, Nexus."

"Yeah, I know, I know..."

Raven relaxed slightly and leaned against the door. "Sorry. Geez, even I'm berating you now. Look, I understand. They were all infected. They had no chance of survival."

Raven sat down on the bed beside Nexus as he studied the mural on the walls, which depicted an orange, rocky landscape at night. "Did you guys do this? Looks pretty cool."

"Yeah," sighed Raven, "we did it for a former Titan. This was her room."

"She betrayed you, didn't she?" Nexus' question had caught Raven off guard.

"Yeah, she did," she said sadly. "We trusted her. She was our friend. My friend. But she went down the wrong path, and she paid the price. She sacrificed herself to save us from what she started."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Nexus. "It must feel terrible. Such... tremendous guilt... It's not your fault, Raven."

Raven looked back at Nexus uncomfortably. "How are you doing that?" she snapped.

"Doing what?" Nexus asked, confused. He suddenly realised what she meant, and his eyes widened. "I... I don't know... I..."

Raven then realised what must be happening. "You can sense my emotions, can't you?"

Nexus looked back at Raven, dumbfounded. "Yeah... I'm sorry, I didn't notice..."

"It's alright. It's another side effect of breaking your connection. You shouldn't be getting much from me, I hope. Only the really superficial, subconscious-level stuff. Your mind would overload, otherwise."

"Okay, that's a bit of a relief." Nexus suddenly had another realisation. "Ah, that would explain..." He chuckled to himself.

"Explain what?" asked Raven. "What's so funny?"

Nexus turned back to her with a grin. "That's why I've been thinking about Beast Boy so much!"

Raven's eyes widened with embarrassment. "Oh... gosh, don't do that..."

Nexus laughed. "I mean, Beast Boy? Really? I mean he's pretty cool, but you two are completely different. Oh well, there's nothing stopping you, is there?"

Raven was staring at the wall in deep thought.

Nexus grew concerned. "Raven? You alright?"

"It's him."

"What?"

Raven turned back to Nexus. "It's Beast Boy. He's the traitor. He has to be."

"What? Seriously? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"How else could they know Beast Boy would be at the music store? Why would they plant someone as a staff member? How would they know about our new security system?"

Nexus turned away, deep in thought. "I don't know about this."

Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "Nexus, I'm sorry. I think you should go. Let me handle this."

"But I can help!"

"If you're still here, they won't listen to me. I'm sorry."

"This is what they want, you know," said Nexus, strangely mirroring what Raven had said to Robin earlier. "The team's going to fall apart."

"I know," said Raven, "but this time I'll be prepared."

Nexus stood up. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah," Raven replied. "Good luck."

Nexus picked up his backpack. "You too. And thanks for understanding."

He left the room and continued down the hall without looking back. He became increasingly bitter about the situation. He thought he'd made some new friends, but now that they'd had a taste of his world, he knew he didn't belong in theirs.

Nexus just hoped that leaving the Titans would bring them peace, and keep the horrors of the First away from them.

He then remembered something, and stopped in his tracks.

* * *

Raven entered the main hall. She took a moment to observe her fellow Titans. Robin was intensely sifting through files on his laptop. Cyborg and Starfire were again working on their multimedia playback system. Beast Boy was attempting to cook himself some tofu sandwiches and failing disasterously at it, with ingredients flying off in all sorts of directions and even something burning on the stove. He looked up at Raven and waved, his face sporting a delightful grin. She nervously waved back. Beast Boy chuckled and returned to his cooking.

He looked so happy.

 _Do I have the right? Is he really the traitor?_

Raven took a deep breath and began slowly approaching Beast Boy.

 _What am I going to say?_

She felt an overwhelming sense of panic build up inside her. She was almost praying for an excuse not to confront him.

 _What if it's not him?_

Raven stopped. She watched as Beast Boy transformed into a bird and flapped his wings in an attempt to put out the fire.

"You're making it worse," she called out. "Just... oh whatever..." Her eyes glowed as a bubble of dark energy formed itself around the fire, smothering it.

Beast Boy changed back to his normal self. "Phew! Thanks, Rae!"

Raven smiled. She was sure it couldn't be him. Someone as cheery and likeable as Beast Boy couldn't possibly be a traitor. But she knew that if she didn't do anything about it, her friends could be in serious danger.

 _No. It has to be done._

"Beast Boy, we need to talk."

"In a sec, Rae, I'm in the middle of cooking some nice..."

Raven's eyes glowed white, and the stove switched itself off. Beast Boy was flung back against the wall, unable to move. The other Titans readied their weapons, puzzled.

"Raven! What are you doing?" he cried out in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but this is for your own good! You're the traitor!"

"What? I'm... I'm not a traitor! I'm your friend! I'm me!" He tried to resist, but it was no use.

Raven moved toward him. "I can't let them control you, Beast Boy!"

"Raven, _stop_!"

Raven looked back and saw Nexus standing in the doorway. "I told you to go!" she yelled.

"You don't understand, Raven!" Nexus exclaimed desperately. "Listen to me! I can explain!"

"Get out!" cried Raven. "Everyone, get out! Before the First make their move!"

"Raven, listen!" Nexus slowly approached her. "The First must've been suppressing my memories before the link broke, because I've just remembered something. I was in that music shop a few days before all this started. I was in the line behind Beast Boy. He was trying to buy his album, but it wasn't out yet. Don't you see, Raven? At that point I was still able to be linked with the First. _That's how they knew_!"

"That doesn't explain how they knew of the security system!"

Raven was still incredibly aggressive. Nexus kept his distance. "The First are resourceful. I can't prove this, but think about it. They see Beast Boy. They assume by his appearance that he's a local superhero. Quick Google search — boom, he's from Titans Tower. They get a bit more advanced with their scanning — boom, the tower has a new security system. Plant a new staff member at the music store, make sure that Beast Boy gets his new CD at all costs, and the rest is history. Trust me, this is what they do. Beast Boy is not the traitor."

Raven suddenly dropped Beast Boy, swung around and lifted Nexus up into a chokehold.

"If he's not the traitor, then who is? _Are you suggesting it's me_?"

"I... never... said that..." Nexus spluttered, trying his best to breathe.

Raven clenched her fingers, and Nexus's face went bright red.

 _What am I doing? This isn't right!_

Nexus fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry, I..." Raven was at a loss for words. She'd only just realised how hostile she had become.

Beast Boy helped Nexus onto his feet. "What's gotten into you, Rae?"

"Raven," said Nexus, still catching his breath, "this is what they want!"

"No," said Raven, "it's more than that. I'm..."

 _No... I can't be..._

Raven slowly reached for the back of her belt and found something attached. Something that wasn't there before. As she removed it, she laid eyes on it and gasped. It was the transmat device from Punk Rocket's guitar.

"Raven, what are you doing with that?" said Cyborg. " _I_ had that!"

Raven was horrified, and on the verge of tears. "I'm not me! _I'M NOT ME!_ "

"Raven! What are you doing?" cried Robin.

" _EVERYONE GET BACK!_ "

Raven let out a blood-curdling scream, and everyone else fell to the ground, unconscious.

 _No no no, this can't be happening! I'm not in control!_

Raven unwillingly knelt down beside Nexus and placed the transmat on his chest.

"You're the traitor..."

She turned around and saw Beast Boy crawling towards her.

"Beast Boy, stay back! Please! I don't want to hurt you!"

Beast Boy looked utterly devastated. "Rae..."

The transmat began to activate.

 _Oh, don't you dare!_

Raven outstretched her arm. " _Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!_ " Nexus was enveloped in dark energy as his body began to shimmer.

Raven wasn't going to give up without a fight, but neither were the First. She tried as hard as she could to protect Nexus from the transmat, but the First were burrowing into her mind to reverse the spell. She couldn't let the First get their hands on Nexus; she didn't know what he was, but she knew he was dangerous in the enemy's hands.

She had to stay motivated if this was going to work. If she failed, the whole world would be at stake. She could lose her friends. She could lose Beast Boy.

She cried out as she began to regain full control over her powers. Nexus' body was returning.

 _It's working!_

"RAVEN!"

She spun around and saw Beast Boy running towards her.

"No, _wait!_ "

Beast Boy tackled her to the ground. Raven's powers slipped, and all three of them were enveloped in a ball of energy. There was a bright flash, and they were all gone.


End file.
